Bernard Bell
Mondays, 7:00-9:00
September 15–December 15, 2014
no class Oct 13, 20 (Bernard gone); Nov 24 (Thanksgiving week)
Fellowship Hall
The Christians of the Middle East, long forgotten in the West, are suddenly in the news, thanks to the Islamic State. The symbol ن (Arabic noon) has proliferated across social media; it’s the first letter of Nasrani, the Arabic word for “Christian.” Who are the Christians of the Middle East and what is their history?
This class explores the history of Christianity in the Middle East beginning with Pentecost, and looks at the state of the church today across the region.
| Week | Date | Topic | Handouts | Audio |
| 1 | 9/15 | First Three Centuries | mp3 poor quality | |
| 2 | 9/22 | First Three Centuries | mp3 | |
| 3 | 9/29 | Constantine & Christendom | mp3 | |
| 4 | 10/06 | Byzantine Christianity & Eastern Orthodoxy | mp3 | |
| – | 10/13 | no class | ||
| – | 10/20 | no class | ||
| 5 | 10/27 | Byzantine Christianity & Eastern Orthodoxy | mp3 part missing | |
| 6 | 11/03 | Islam | mp3 | |
| 7 | 11/10 | Jihad: The Spread of Islam | mp3 | |
| 8 | 11/17 | Turkish Empires & The Crusades | mp3 | |
| – | 11/24 | no class (Thanksgiving week) | ||
| 9 | 12/01 | William & Lore Lauesen | no handout | no recording |
| 10 | 12/08 | Creation of Today’s Middle East | mp3 | |
| 11 | 12/15 | The Middle East today |
Related Material
Video (shown in Week 2: 9/22): Iraqi Christians in Peril (Faith Matters; Deutsche Welle; Feb 5, 2013; 26 mins). youtube.
cf. Iraqi Christians in Peril: a brief interview with Rev. Andrew White, “Vicar of Baghdad” (CBS 60 Minutes; June 29, 2008; 2 mins).
Philip Jenkins, “Is This the End for Mideast Christianity,” Christianity Today, Nov. 5, 2014.